Discussion Questions for Monday, September 19
After reading the questions below and deciding which one(s) you want to respond to (you're expected to respond once every three classes, on average), click on the appropriate thread to write your response as a reply. If you have not yet registered an account with wikispaces and requested to join this site, you will need to do so to post a response (see the How to Wiki page for instructions).
In this second section we are reading from Man, Play and Games, Caillois expresses his concerns about the way that play gets integrated into other aspects of social life (school, work, the economy) and the corrupting potential of this integration. What are some of his particular worries, and how does he express them (be sure to quote from the text in your response)? Would Huizinga have these same worries. And, in your opinion, is Caillois right to worry -- can you point to evidence either way from any integrated forms of play you might see around you today?
If you have started thinking about first graded analytical essay assignment, "How We Play" (due Wednesday, September 28), this might be a good time/place to try out some of your ideas. What form of play are you thinking of writing about? Why did you choose this, and what are you hoping to be able to say about it? What do you think this example tells us about the nature play, or how does a theory of play help us better understand this particular example of it? What do you imagine will be the most challenging aspect of completing this assignment? And what question do you have that your instructor or your peers might be able to help you with?
After reading the questions below and deciding which one(s) you want to respond to (you're expected to respond once every three classes, on average), click on the appropriate thread to write your response as a reply. If you have not yet registered an account with wikispaces and requested to join this site, you will need to do so to post a response (see the How to Wiki page for instructions).